DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, Office of the Secretary, HUD

Final rule.

Effective: January 17, 2017.

24 CFR Parts 888, 982, 983, and 985

Summary

This final rule applies the use of Small Area Fair Market Rents (Small Area FMRs) in the administration of the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program for certain metropolitan areas. This final rule provides for the use of Small Area FMRs, in place of the 50th percentile rent, the currently codified regulations, to address high levels of voucher concentration in certain communities. The use of Small Area FMRs is expected to give HCV tenants access to areas of high opportunity and lower poverty areas by providing a subsidy that is adequate to cover rents in those areas, thereby reducing the number of voucher families that reside in areas of high poverty concentration.

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, Office of the Secretary, HUD

Final rule.

Effective Date: These regulations are effective on December 16, 2016. Compliance Date: Compliance with the rule with respect to completing an emergency transfer plan and providing emergency transfers, and associated recordkeeping and reporting requirements, is required no later than May 15, 2017.

This final rule implements in HUD's regulations the requirements of the 2013 reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), which applies for all victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, regardless of sex, gender identity, or sexual orientation, and which must be applied consistent with all nondiscrimination and fair housing requirements. The 2013 reauthorization (VAWA 2013) expands housing protections to HUD programs beyond HUD's public housing program and HUD's tenant-based and project-based Section 8 programs (collectively, the Section 8 programs) that were covered by the 2005 reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA 2005). Additionally, the 2013 law provides enhanced protections and options for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Specifically, this rule amends HUD's generally applicable regulations, HUD's regulations for the public housing and Section 8 programs that already pertain to VAWA, and the regulations of programs newly covered by VAWA 2013. In addition to this final rule, HUD is publishing a notice titled the Notice of Occupancy Rights under the Violence Against Women Act (Notice of Occupancy Rights) that certain housing providers must give to tenants and applicants to ensure they are aware of their rights under VAWA and these implementing regulations, a model emergency transfer plan that may be used by housing providers to develop their own emergency transfer plans, a model emergency transfer request form that housing providers could provide to tenants requesting an emergency transfer under these regulations, and a new certification form for documenting incidents of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking that must be used by housing providers. This rule reflects the statutory changes made by VAWA 2013, as well as HUD's recognition of the importance of providing housing protections and rights to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. By increasing opportunities for all individuals to live in safe housing, this will reduce the risk of homelessness and further HUD's mission of utilizing housing to improve quality of life.

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, HUD, Office of the Deputy Secretary

Final rule.

Effective Date: April 7, 2016.

24 CFR Parts 5, 880, 884, 886, 891, 903, 960, 966, 982, 983, 990

Summary

The Department of Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Act, 2014 (2014 Appropriations Act), made several changes to the United States Housing Act of 1937 (1937 Act). Section 243 of the 2014 Appropriations Act authorized HUD to implement these changes through notice, followed by notice-and-comment rulemaking. Notices implementing the changes were published on May 19, 2014, and June 25, 2014. HUD issued a proposed rule on January 6, 2015, to codify these changes in regulation. In addition, the January 2015 rule proposed changes to streamline regulatory requirements pertaining to certain elements of the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV), Public Housing (PH), and various multifamily housing (MFH) rental assistance programs; to reduce the administrative burden on public housing agencies (PHAs) and MFH owners; and to align, where feasible, requirements across programs, including the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) and HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME), which are administered by HUD's Office of Community Planning and Development (CPD). HUD also issued an interim rule on September 8, 2015, implementing changes to flat rents in the Public Housing program made by the Department of Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Act, 2015 (2015 Appropriations Act). This final rule makes changes to the regulatory text as presented in the January 2015 proposed rule, including additional changes in response to public comment as well as further consideration by HUD of changes proposed in January 2015, and finalizes the regulatory changes contained in the September 2015 interim rule.

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, HUD, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing

Final rule.

Effective: September 21, 2015.

24 CFR Part 982

Summary

This final rule amends HUD's regulations governing portability in the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program. Portability is a feature of the HCV program that allows an eligible family with a housing choice voucher to use that voucher to lease a unit anywhere in the United States where there is a public housing agency (PHA) operating an HCV program. The purpose of HUD's changes to the portability regulations is to enable PHAs to better serve families and expand housing opportunities by improving portability processes.

This is a list of United States Code sections, Statutes at Large, Public Laws, and Presidential Documents, which provide rulemaking authority for this CFR Part.

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, Office of the Secretary, HUD

Final rule.

Effective: January 17, 2017.

24 CFR Parts 888, 982, 983, and 985

Summary

This final rule applies the use of Small Area Fair Market Rents (Small Area FMRs) in the administration of the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program for certain metropolitan areas. This final rule provides for the use of Small Area FMRs, in place of the 50th percentile rent, the currently codified regulations, to address high levels of voucher concentration in certain communities. The use of Small Area FMRs is expected to give HCV tenants access to areas of high opportunity and lower poverty areas by providing a subsidy that is adequate to cover rents in those areas, thereby reducing the number of voucher families that reside in areas of high poverty concentration.

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, Office of the Secretary, HUD

Final rule.

Effective Date: These regulations are effective on December 16, 2016. Compliance Date: Compliance with the rule with respect to completing an emergency transfer plan and providing emergency transfers, and associated recordkeeping and reporting requirements, is required no later than May 15, 2017.

This final rule implements in HUD's regulations the requirements of the 2013 reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), which applies for all victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, regardless of sex, gender identity, or sexual orientation, and which must be applied consistent with all nondiscrimination and fair housing requirements. The 2013 reauthorization (VAWA 2013) expands housing protections to HUD programs beyond HUD's public housing program and HUD's tenant-based and project-based Section 8 programs (collectively, the Section 8 programs) that were covered by the 2005 reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA 2005). Additionally, the 2013 law provides enhanced protections and options for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Specifically, this rule amends HUD's generally applicable regulations, HUD's regulations for the public housing and Section 8 programs that already pertain to VAWA, and the regulations of programs newly covered by VAWA 2013. In addition to this final rule, HUD is publishing a notice titled the Notice of Occupancy Rights under the Violence Against Women Act (Notice of Occupancy Rights) that certain housing providers must give to tenants and applicants to ensure they are aware of their rights under VAWA and these implementing regulations, a model emergency transfer plan that may be used by housing providers to develop their own emergency transfer plans, a model emergency transfer request form that housing providers could provide to tenants requesting an emergency transfer under these regulations, and a new certification form for documenting incidents of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking that must be used by housing providers. This rule reflects the statutory changes made by VAWA 2013, as well as HUD's recognition of the importance of providing housing protections and rights to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. By increasing opportunities for all individuals to live in safe housing, this will reduce the risk of homelessness and further HUD's mission of utilizing housing to improve quality of life.

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, HUD, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing

Proposed rule.

Comment Due Date: December 27, 2016.

24 CFR Part 982

Summary

This rule proposes to codify HUD's policy regarding enhanced vouchers, a type of tenant-based voucher provided for under section 8 of the U.S. Housing Act of 1937 in the following four scenarios, which are prescribed and limited by statute: The prepayment of certain mortgages, the voluntary termination of the insurance contract for the mortgage, the termination or the expiration of a project-based section 8 rental assistance contract, and the transaction under which a project that receives or has received assistance under the Flexible Subsidy Program is preserved as affordable housing. Specifically, this rule would codify existing policy concerning the eligibility criteria for enhanced vouchers, as well as provide rental payment standards and subsidy standards applicable to enhanced vouchers, the right of enhanced voucher holders to remain in their units, procedures for addressing over-housed families, and the calculation of the enhanced voucher housing assistance payment.

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, HUD, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing

Proposed rule.

Comment Due Date: October 4, 2016.

24 CFR Part 982

Summary

This rule proposes a new methodology for determining the amount of funding a public housing agency (PHA) will receive for administering the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program—one that uses factors that a recently completed study demonstrates are more reflective of how much it costs to administer the HCV program. Ongoing administrative fees under the HCV program are currently calculated based on the number of vouchers under lease and a percentage of the 1993 or 1994 local fair market rent, with an annual inflation adjustment. The new administrative fee formula proposed by this rule is based on a study conducted by Abt Associates for HUD that measured the actual costs of operating high-performing and efficient HCV programs and recommended a new administrative fee formula. In this rule, HUD proposes to adopt the recommended formula with modifications based largely on comments HUD received in response to a June 26, 2015 notice that solicited comment on the study. This rule proposes an ongoing administrative fee for a PHA that would be calculated based on six variables: Program size, wage rates, benefit load, percent of households with earned income, new admissions rate, and percent of assisted households that live a significant distance from the PHA's headquarters. The PHA's fee would be calculated each year based on these cost factors and a revised inflation factor would be applied to the calculated fee. This proposed rule also provides HUD with the flexibility to provide additional fees to PHAs to address program priorities such as special voucher programs ( e.g., the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing program), serving homeless households, and expanding housing opportunities.

2016-06-16; vol. 81 # 116 - Thursday, June 16, 2016

81 FR 39218 - Establishing a More Effective Fair Market Rent System; Using Small Area Fair Market Rents in Housing Choice Voucher Program Instead of the Current 50th Percentile FMRs

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, HUD, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research

Proposed rule.

Comment Due Date: August 15, 2016.

24 CFR Parts 888, 982, 983, and 985

Summary

This rulemaking proposes the use of Small Area Fair Market Rents (Small Area FMRs) in the administration of the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program for certain metropolitan areas. HUD is proposing to use Small Area FMRs in place of the current 50th percentile rent to address high levels of voucher concentration. HUD believes that Small Area FMRs gives HCV tenants a more effective means to move into areas of higher opportunity and lower poverty areas by providing them with subsidy adequate to make such areas accessible and to thereby reduce the number of voucher families that reside in areas of high poverty concentration. HUD proposes to use several criteria for determining which metropolitan areas would best be served by application of Small Area FMRs in the administration of the HCV program. These criteria include a threshold number of vouchers within a metropolitan area, the concentration of current HCV tenants in low-income areas, and the percentage of renter occupied units within the metropolitan area with gross rents above the payment standard basic range. Public housing agencies (PHAs) operating in designated metropolitan areas would be required to use Small Area FMRs. PHAs not operating in the designated areas would have the option to use Small Area FMRs in administering their HCV programs. Other programs that use FMRs would continue to use area-wide FMRs. HUD's goal in pursuing this rulemaking is to provide HCV tenants with a greater ability to move into areas where jobs, transportation, and educational opportunities exist.

2016-05-04; vol. 81 # 86 - Wednesday, May 4, 2016

81 FR 26759 - Notice of Demonstration To Test Proposed New Method of Assessing the Physical Conditions of Voucher-Assisted Housing

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, HUD, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing

Notice.

Comments Due Date: July 5, 2016.

24 CFR Part 982

Summary

Through this document, HUD solicits comment on a demonstration designed to test a new method of assessing the physical condition of housing assisted by HUD vouchers (voucher-assisted housing). In the Joint Explanatory Statement accompanying the act appropriating funds for HUD in Fiscal Year (FY 2016), Congress directed HUD to implement a single inspection protocol for public housing and voucher units. This demonstration would commence the process for implementing a single inspection protocol.

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, HUD, Office of the Deputy Secretary

Final rule.

Effective Date: April 7, 2016.

24 CFR Parts 5, 880, 884, 886, 891, 903, 960, 966, 982, 983, 990

Summary

The Department of Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Act, 2014 (2014 Appropriations Act), made several changes to the United States Housing Act of 1937 (1937 Act). Section 243 of the 2014 Appropriations Act authorized HUD to implement these changes through notice, followed by notice-and-comment rulemaking. Notices implementing the changes were published on May 19, 2014, and June 25, 2014. HUD issued a proposed rule on January 6, 2015, to codify these changes in regulation. In addition, the January 2015 rule proposed changes to streamline regulatory requirements pertaining to certain elements of the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV), Public Housing (PH), and various multifamily housing (MFH) rental assistance programs; to reduce the administrative burden on public housing agencies (PHAs) and MFH owners; and to align, where feasible, requirements across programs, including the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) and HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME), which are administered by HUD's Office of Community Planning and Development (CPD). HUD also issued an interim rule on September 8, 2015, implementing changes to flat rents in the Public Housing program made by the Department of Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Act, 2015 (2015 Appropriations Act). This final rule makes changes to the regulatory text as presented in the January 2015 proposed rule, including additional changes in response to public comment as well as further consideration by HUD of changes proposed in January 2015, and finalizes the regulatory changes contained in the September 2015 interim rule.

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, HUD, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing

Final rule.

Effective: September 21, 2015.

24 CFR Part 982

Summary

This final rule amends HUD's regulations governing portability in the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program. Portability is a feature of the HCV program that allows an eligible family with a housing choice voucher to use that voucher to lease a unit anywhere in the United States where there is a public housing agency (PHA) operating an HCV program. The purpose of HUD's changes to the portability regulations is to enable PHAs to better serve families and expand housing opportunities by improving portability processes.